The Piano Teacher
2001 ‘La Pianiste’ Directed by Michael Haneke
Synopsis
A young man romantically pursues his masochistic piano teacher.
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30 Days 30 Countries Challenge; Day 7-Austria
In what is probably one of the worst date movies of all time, Michael Haneke examines skeletons in the closets of seemingly normal people, and how deep those closets go.
Haneke has always been fond of grounding his films in reality as much as possible, and this film is no exception. His characters aren't developed on screen, they are already developed people by the time we are introduced to them. The movie details what happens when these living, breathing, and utterly damaged characters interact with each other.
The titular piano teacher, Erika, carries herself publicly as a symbol of class and sophistication She appreciates the refined art of classical piano, and is a…
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Jesus Christ. Holy shit. What the fuck.
Four minutes into this, I had already decided that I would give this film five stars. It's that good. The rest of it did not disappoint, but fucking hell. Goddamn it.
Piano music will never be the same.
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Moving from media obsession to sex obsession, distributed by the demonic media tyrants no doubt, is a portrayal of the power of sex and the destructive nature of it within society. Just how far can you let a fetish build up inside of you, before it explodes? The protagonist has two passions. One that is seen as a beautiful hobby, one that is seen as a disgusting habit for the mentally ill. Both conflict each other. She is stuck between two lives and gradually through the film slips from one passion to the other, resulting in a crescendo, a moment where one is chosen over the other for the final time, cementing her path, ultimately she cannot help but indulge her nature.
I didn't feel too condemned watching this film, during my Haneke marathon I've gotten used to a good spanking but this feels much more reserved. Haneke at his best. -
The Piano Teacher is one of the more unsettling films I've seen recently. Like most of Michael Haneke's work, the overall atmosphere is one of cold cynicism, dwelling upon dreary and uncomfortable topics in powerful, realistic ways. The exceptional factor in this film is the performance of Isabelle Huppert, who wears her emotionless mask with absolute charm, yet effectively represents her underlying disenchantment of female sexuality. The film itself is very uncanny, but very well-made. This remains my favorite Haneke work so far.
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Anyone who reads my posts will quickly find that I am enamored with Michael Haneke's work. This is a truly great film by Haneke about a psychotic and sadistic piano teacher who has a really, really unhealthy relationship with her mother whi whom she lives, her piano students at the conservatory where she works in Vienna, and the young male student with whom she begins an odd affair. There are scenes that make you cringe and rightfully so. Still, it's a marvelous film, winning the Cannes Grand Prize in 2001 as well as Cannes Best Actress for Isabelle Huppert and Best Actor for Benoît Magimel. In fact, this is just one in a very long line of beyond-belief performances from the great French actress, Huppert. The film is disturbing, highly sexual, extremely dark, mysterious, and full of personal angst on everyone's part -- just the kind of film I love.
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Unless you happen to be in a position to ask her directly and get a straight answer out of her, trying to get at an author's intent (since this is the movies we're talking about, maybe it should be "an auteur's intent") is a mug's game. I wish Michael Haneke or Elfriede Jelinek could tell me right now what the deal is with La Pianiste, because I'm having a devil of a time getting at my own reaction.
I was very intrigued (even entertained!) by the film's portrait of a possibly deranged middle-aged woman with certain odd sexual proclivities, and the sparks she strikes while brushing up against other people. But when the story took a decided turn from ambiguous…
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Pretty twisted film. Michael Haneke is a damn good director.
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Very intense. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. Some scenes were hard to watch and made me squirm. The one's with Walter just made me wanted to punch him in the face. With no music and little dialogue, this movie sure did make an impact. Ugh that last scene though...
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Isabelle Huppert is an acting goddess.
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30 Days 30 Countries Challenge; Day 7-Austria
In what is probably one of the worst date movies of all time, Michael Haneke examines skeletons in the closets of seemingly normal people, and how deep those closets go.
Haneke has always been fond of grounding his films in reality as much as possible, and this film is no exception. His characters aren't developed on screen, they are already developed people by the time we are introduced to them. The movie details what happens when these living, breathing, and utterly damaged characters interact with each other.
The titular piano teacher, Erika, carries herself publicly as a symbol of class and sophistication She appreciates the refined art of classical piano, and is a…
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What I learned: Sex can be a bit awkward if both parties are clinically insane.
Huppert is brilliant and this could be the film of her career. It's very challenging and I think taking an intermission around the hour would help rest the mind a bit. It is disturbing but quite moving and kept me thinking for several days.
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accurate
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Not really my cup of tea....sorry
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Definitely going on my list of movies you can jerk off to.
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The Piano Teacher is, like all other Michael Haneke film's I've seen, dark, complex and emotionally stirring. What I've always liked about Haneke is his ability to turn the audience into a participant in the film rather than an observer of the film. His works, and this one is no exception, lead you to ask questions rather than telling you how it is. Careful viewing and consideration are always rewarding.
This film has such great tone. It would be easy to turn the subject matter into an absurdity, but it's always handled with such gravity and matter-of-factness. That is due in part to Haneke's direction, but I can't say enough about Isabelle Huppert's performance in this. She completely embodied this…